RISE can now test bidirectional charging between electrical vehicles and grid

The ability to test bidirectional charging between electrical vehicles and grid has been developed in close collaboration with the company DEFA, who has developed the AC charger at the core of the platform. The new testing ability has already been used by Toyota Industries, who has engaged with RISE to verify their new on-board charger.

- For electrical vehicles to be able to contribute in balancing the grid, decrease local power peaks, be used as back-up power at disruptions, as well as increase the utility degree of renewable energy it is essential that the technology can be verified un a standardised and repeatable manner, something that RISE are now able to provide, says Anna Larsson, Director of Electromobility at RISE.

RISE can validate the complete chain from the vehicle control unit (VECU), through the onboard charger (OBC), Electric Vehicle Communication Controller (EVCC), and Control unit of the Charging station (SECC), to the actual power flow and electrical power quality at the grid interface. This complete chain is implemented in accordance with the ISO 15118-20 communication protocol.

– From an industry perspective, this is a significant milestone. One of the world's leading automotive manufacturers has validated ISO 15118-20 bidirectional charging on an AC charger, independently verified by RISE. This is an important step towards broader industry adoption. From the day we launched DEFA Power, we have championed open protocols and never compromised on the technologies that will define the future. These test results validate our long-term belief that the future of electrification will be built on open standards and interoperability, says Martin Jonsson, CEO of DEFA Group.

Chargeable cars constituted more than 60% of the new car sales in Sweden 2025 and represented in May at around 17% out of the complete car fleet.  The gathered battery capacity of Swedish electrical vehicles is right now estimated to around 24 000 MWh — a resource that is more or less unused when the vehicle is standing still, which is actually the case more than 90 percent of the day.

-Toyota Industries has high expectations for bidirectional charging (V2X) using onboard chargers as a function that enhances the value of electrified vehicles. We believe it is extremely important to establish an environment where the technologies required for product development and widespread adoption can be properly validated. In this regard, it was highly beneficial to work together with RISE to establish such an environment and evaluate our onboard charger there. Furthermore, we believe that ensuring compatibility between electrified vehicles and charging stations in the market through this environment will represent a major step forward toward broader adoption of V2X, says Hiroaki Matsuda, Senior Executive Officer of Toyota Industries.

V2G (vehicle-to-grid) implies that the battery of the electrical vehicle doesn’t only receives energy but can also supply energy back to the grid. For V2G to work at large scale it is important with a standardised communication protocol between the vehicle and the charging infrastructure. It also presupposes that the technology can be verified in a standardised and repeatable manner, that RISE now can offer.

Press Contact:

Anna Larsson, Director Electromobility, RISE, anna.larsson@ri.se